RTA PORTAL UNRAVELS THE STATS

15 August 2011

The fixed cost RTA Claims Portal has a
wide collection of fans and detractors; however the issue of
whether it should be expanded has struggled to get any real
debating time, until now. Read on for Premextra's
view.

Following its introduction in April 2010, the RTA Claims Portal
has been a mixed success depending upon whom you talk to.
The 1k 10k RTA Group on linkedin includes
some lively debate about the practical concerns of users and is
always a good place to begin. Meanwhile, insurers have frequently
spoken in the media about its potential to take cost out of the
personal injury process and that it should be expanded to include
more types and higher values of claims.

However, a lack of statistical information about the portal's
performance suggests to some that expansion may be premature so it
was good to see the issue addressed by Lynn Rouse in Post
Magazine during July. Her analysis reported the obvious divisions
between those seeking to expand the portal quickly, and those
preferring to take a rain check. Interestingly, there was one voice
of caution from a major defendant law firm about whether expanding
without having proved the concept would be a good idea. However its
comment appears to have been removed from the record.

The following week, Tim Wallis, Independent Chair of the RTA
Portal Co was given right to reply. The message from him is very
much 'wait and see' while his organisation and the MOJ sift through
the data. He pointed out specifically the problem in using raw data
to prove the portal's success or failure, pointing out how
the Association of British Insurers had looked
at the figures for claims settlement before the portal began
operation and after it started and said simply that time scales had
'halved' from 294 days to 132 days. Mr Wallis explained that the
132 days figure is 'maturing day by day', perhaps implying that
expansion may have to wait a while yet.

Do you think the RTA Claims Portal should be expanded? Have your
say here